Do You Remember, Love?
by Kage Hasu
Summary: Requested by DarkAngel048. When a Mazoku fell in love with the Angel not everyone was pleased. 500 years later Raizen tells Yusuke about how he fell in love with Kagome . . . and how he lost her. He's still waiting.
1. Prologue

Do You Remember, Love?

By: Kage Hasu

Beta: Ayaia of the Moon

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or YuYu Hakusho. Let's see…*looks at list of items, objects, and names* nope… I guess I don't own Kagome or Raizen. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi respectively.

Pairings: Kagome/Raizen

Summary: Requested by animeangel008. Long ago a Mazoku fell in love with a heavenly being, an angel. Now Raizen tells Yusuke about his love, his Kagome. Now, 500 years later the trial is over. Question is, does she still remember?

Quote: 'A good way to forget your sorrows is to help others forget theirs.'

Verse: "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:14-15

Prologue

Finishing another spar with some of his youkai father's subjects, Yusuke raced off to the tallest tower of the castle, ignoring the concerns being shouted at his back.

"That's odd," said Seitei. The group, consisting of four bald men, wore navy blue hakama and happi but Seitei was the shortest.

"What is?" asked To'o, the tallest.

"The King's stomach growl is off schedule," he replied, eyes closed. Hoksuhin, the leader, looked at the highest room in the tallest tower with dread.

"Oh no."

XXXX

"I'm back~." Yusuke yelled in a sing-song voice, kicking open the heavy doors.

Soft grunts of pain were the only answer. Yusuke hummed before his eyes landed upon Raizen's form.

His hair drifted above his head from the power rising from his body, making the room glow an eerie green from his youki. His glowing red eyes and frothing mouth made him look like a rabid animal.

Yusuke's eyes widened. "Bad timing, huh," he said somewhat nervously.

Raizen roared and clutched his head in pain. Faster than Yusuke's eyes could track, Raizen leapt forward, arm extended to grab Yusuke's head before smashing it into the wall as Raizen roared again. The King's strength quickly became too much for the wall and it crumbled.

In the castle's courtyard Yusuke's sparring partners looked up as the tower wall exploded, a cloud of dust obscuring their view. The only thing seen was the glowing green energy beam racing over the forest originating from the tower.

"What was…that energy?" To'o stuttered.

"King Raizen." Hoksuhin breathed.

XXXX

The aura of energy around Raizen spiked wildly, hiding both Raizen and Yusuke's forms as it left a glowing streak in its wake. Flying over the forest Yusuke tried to look at his ancestral father's face. He struggled to overcome force of the hand still gripping his face in a death-hold.

"I can't take it anymore, I must _feed_," Raizen snarled, fangs dripping saliva. Zooming down into the forest, the concentrated aura surrounding Raizen disintegrated trees and everything else within a radius of seven feet. A deep trench formed beneath their path as they flew through the forest. They crash landed into an extremely large pine tree, snapping the trunk like a toothpick.

Raizen's hands forced Yusuke's head into the ground as he crouched over his son's fallen form. Tightening his hands minutely around Yusuke's head, Raizen lost himself further to his primal needs as he growled raggedly.

"Aaaagrrrrrgggg"

Eyes snapping open Yusuke grabbed Raizen's hands and forced them laboriously away from his head. Jumping up as soon as Raizen backed off, the two youkai stared at each other for a split second before rushing towards the other. Grabbing the others hands both males tried to force the other back, but neither moved an inch.

– _I can't believe we are this evenly matched, even when he's running on empty. Must be using every last ounce of energy he has. – _

Suddenly Raizen jumped over Yusuke's head and disappeared. With the sudden lack of resistance Yusuke stumbled forward before he could regain his footing. "Where did you go?" Yusuke questioned the empty air.

A muffled growl alerted Yusuke to the presence right behind him. Eyes wide, the boy didn't have time to react before the crazed beast bit down on his shoulder and he cried out in pain. Trying to ignore the searing pain on the juncture between his neck and shoulder, he reached up and wrapped his hands around Raizen's head before flipping him over his bloody shoulder. Raizen landed breathing heavily.

"Man, you're pathetic," Yusuke grasped his wounded shoulder tightly, watching as Raizen's eyes widened and the red glow faded as his irises constricted. "If this is you at your weakest I can't imagine you at your strength. You know, I think you've proved your point by now." Yusuke paused as he let his hand fall to his side, ". . . whatever it was."

Raizen looked back at his descendent, amused.

"If you need to eat humans to survive, so be it. I'll bring some for you, some real evil ones. The world is mixed up, things I was clear on confuse me now. But if what you do is wrong then why were you made that way? I don't want another hollow victory. I don't want another star in my win column like I had with Sensui. . .Well if you won't feed yourself will you at least tell me why you're doing this so I can tell you why what you're doing is totally wrong."

Raizen smirked as he sat cross-legged on the ground. "I can see a lot of her in you. She was much wiser of course. It was her fiery temper that I fell in love with." Raizen tilted his head back to look at the red sky. "It's been nearly 500 years now. The human world was a very different place. A great battle had taken place only a few years before and the world was still in chaos and disorder. This was before the first barrier between the human and youkai world and our two kinds lived side by side.

"The youkai exterminator village had been decimated and holy beings were in a decline, it was a grand time to be a youkai, though I imagine it was a bit rougher for the humans. We terrorized them and yet their petty feudal lords were not above calling upon us to defend their lands against the invading horde of their own enemies.

"Yomi, Mukuro, and I were the three kings even then, but we all made regular trips to the human world. I didn't care which side a person was on, they were all food to me. They didn't like that very much. But all that changed one night when I met a woman." Raizen looked back at Yusuke.

"A woman," Yusuke repeated.

"From a distance she was very unassuming, just another human – exactly the way she wanted it – but everyone could tell something about her was different…something special. I soon found out just how very different she was; after her death, she and four others had been brought back in time."

Yusuke stared disbelievingly at his ancestor. "Back in time," Yusuke repeated again.

"Yes, thousands of years ago – I was never stupid enough to ask exactly how long – the world was in dire need of a higher power to keep everything in order. The earth and everything on it was dying.

"After being brought back she and the others were ascended to that highest power.

"No one was or is more powerful than them, and no one can surpass them. They are the higher power that keeps the worlds from extinction and running smoothly; Time, Nature, Cosmos, Destiny, and the Netherworld. Four parts of the soul; Aramitama (Courage), Nigimitama (Friendship), Kushimaitama (Wisdom), Sakimitama (Love), and The Balance – which keeps the others in harmony – are represented by those five. Time is Friendship, Nature is Love, Cosmos is the Balance, Destiny is Courage, and the Netherworld is Wisdom.

"Years…Decades…Centuries passed and as they gained more wisdom and experience the worlds were better off. Finally things are as you see them now."

"So Enma answers to this…higher power…these five beings, right? If they control everything than don't they have the power to stop all the chaos in both the human world and the youkai world? 'Cause things don't seem to wonderful."

"Enma was _created_ by them," Raizen sighed heavily, "Of course they could stop all the death and wars that our worlds have, but not only do youkai like chaos and wars, the Five Powers believe in free choice and don't like interfering all that often…at least on a grand scale. Often times they will disguise themselves as a mortal and help the world like that, it's how I met _her_. We first met in the human world, where she healed me, a couple months later she came with a mortal companion to my castle looking for something."

"What was your first meeting like?" Yusuke questioned.

Raizen gazed off into the distance with glazed eyes, staring something only he could see. "I was running from a mob of humans. I had been weakened earlier by one of the remaining pure ones, I made my way towards a small hut on the outskirts of a village. She was there, helping to train the village priestess. She turned towards me; it was the first time I saw her eyes…a beautiful stormy blue-gray…

* * *

A/N: So sorry I'm so late in getting this up animeangel008, I hope the twist I put on your idea doesn't turn you away. There were also some things that I couldn't have to go with some necessary plot line. I should have got this up earlier, I've had it beta'd for almost a week now.


	2. The First Meeting

Do You Remember, Love?

By: Kage Hasu

Beta: Ayaia of the Moon

Disclaimer: I had a dream where I owned them. . . it was such a nice dream. Then I woke up. InuYasha and YuYu Hakusho belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi respectively.

Quote: I'd much rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I'm not.

Verse: "Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy." Proverbs 27:6

Chapter 1: The First Meeting

_I fled from the screams and shouts I still heard behind me. I had been feeding; gorging myself as was my habit when __they __had come upon me. As one of the last of my kind, a Mazoku, I was dearly wanted by the humans. While other youkai could – and did eat food other than humans – I didn't. They had gathered together the most powerful miko in all of Japan to destroy me._

_I grinned wickedly. Every single one of those women lay dead in a pool of her own cooling blood. I was the most powerful youkai in all four worlds; not even the legendary Midoriko could have defeated me. _

_Their arrows were powerful, the energy on them far too high to have come from any one miko. In a moment of carelessness, one arrow had passed my defenses and pierced my side. I tried to ignore it. It was annoying. And it was weakening me. _

_Trees and bushes flashed by me in a blur as I raced past. One hand went to my side, channeling more of my ki into the wound. The bouncing lights and yelling got further and further away as I ran. A large clearing appeared suddenly – I was at the edge of another village. A hut stood in the middle of it, a low wall surrounding it with only a small opening to pass through. It was dark, probably abandoned, and the perfect place to hide until I healed._

_Not bothering with the door I jumped over the low wall, sulking in the shadows like a human ninja. Inside the large hut it was dark, the only light coming from the light of the full moon through the opening door and windows. A small figure moved near the back of the room, the grinding noises of a pestle reached my ears. A woman then, probably the village miko – or more likely her apprentice judging by her size._

_My hand curled loosely, like a cat getting ready to claw. I would strike her down before she had the chance to scream. The woman whirled around faster than I would have thought possible for a human. The first thing I saw was stormy blue eyes glowing unnaturally in the dark._

_The light of the moon seemed to linger around her, lighting up more of the room and casting dark shadows on the wooden walls. My first thought was 'Beautiful.' She was tiny, the size of an average 10-year-old. Long, inky raven-blue hair was just starting to settle around her willowy body. Her body was something all women strived for; long slim legs, tiny waist flaring out to slightly wider hips and large breasts. Long slim hands with delicate wrists and fingers__** – **__mother's hands, a healer's hands. Her lips were petal pink under a button nose._

_Her porcelain skin was as pale as the moon and didn't look like it offered much protection against the harsh elements of the worlds. Her eyes were bright and large, and glowed unnaturally in the dark. The color put me in mind of the sea in the middle of a thunderstorm and they twinkled a bit, reminding me of stars. The moment seemed to stretch for years as we stared into each other's eyes. Sooty lashes closed as she blinked, and the moment was broken._

_I jumped back a few paces, growling threateningly, the vibrations rumbling throughout my chest. My hand tightened around my wound. This was no ordinary human. She was different, dangerous even._

_Stormy eyes scanned my body before focusing on the hand pressed to my side. My growls deepened, warning her away. Her lips curved upwards in a delicate smile before they parted._

_"Man," the wind carried the bell-like voice to my sensitive ear, "you're pathetic."_

_I gestured threateningly, my sharp claws flashing in the glow of the moon coming through the window. My growls got louder. Her small smile never faltered._

_"Look at you, running from a mob of humans with farming tools and torches. Brought to your knees by a single wound__**.**__ Pathetic," she reiterated. I quieted before advancing on her like the predator I was__** –**__ she would not live to see the morning. I had nothing against her personally__** – **__it was just habit. "Are you going to eat me?"_

_Her head tilted like an inquisitive puppy, a lock of hair slid across her collarbone to rest against her pale skin. Dark against light, inky blackness against creamy paleness__** –**__ the sight distracted me for a moment. What was she playing at? Surely she knew what I was? A human eater? A monster? Why wasn't she screaming__**. . .**__ running? Why was her luscious scent (moonbeams and bamboo) free from all fear? Why was she questioning my actions?_

_"I wouldn't do such a thing," she continued when I didn't do anything. "In your current state my blood would be mortal poison. Of course, you could kill me and leave. But with my blood trailing down flesh and pooling on the floor would you really be able to help yourself? Would you really be able to leave without tasting it? I could be lying of course," was she reading my mind? "But I'm not. Would you really want to risk it?"_

_Slowly she knelt until she was seated comfortably on the floor. I remained where I was, tense, waiting for her to make the next move._

_Small pale hands rose to grasp the hem of her plain white sleeping yukata, tugging it open a bit to reveal more of her skin and the curve of her breasts. She tilted her head back, baring more of the slim column of her neck to my gaze. Dark blue eyes stared straight into mine – though as a human she shouldn't have been able to see them – daring me to try. We stayed like this for many minutes before I huffed, taking a seat on the ground and leaning tiredly against the wall, closing my eyes._

_A light laugh came from the girl's (for there was no way I could call someone with her innocent eyes a woman) direction as she realized my decision. Cloth rustled as she moved. A soft *__**clink**__* was heard as she set the mortar and pestle in front of her so she could continue the work I had interrupted with my appearance. The hut was silent except for her light breathing, my heavier breathing, and the slight noises she made while grinding the herbs._

_Only a few minutes had passed in semi-comfortable silence before a soft humming filled the room._

_Eyes snapping open, my gaze darted to her. She was grinding diligently, stormy eyes focused on her work, hands never wasting a movement, tiny pink tongue sticking out of her mouth slightly in her concentration. I relaxed against the wall, the tenseness of the day falling away from my shoulders. The tune was light and slow. . . almost like a lullaby. I could feel myself relaxing. I felt safe in her presence, like a toddler would in his mother's embrace. I immediately shook myself, what a stupid notion._

_Another bell-like laugh erupted from the girl's mouth as if she had sensed the direction my thoughts had taken. Her eyes flickered in my direction before she shook her head like a mother exasperated by the antics of a beloved child. Another amused noise escaped her before her eyes lowered back to her work._

_I took the time to study her (and the hut) more closely. Her white yukata was still gapping slightly around her collar, showing more skin than was strictly proper. Soft, tiny hands worked skillfully at the mortar and pestle, short nails smooth and rounded. So unlike my own, I thought, glancing down at my own hands with their long strong fingers tipped with deadly claws that had been cleaned of the blood of humans many, many times. Dried herbs hung down from strings on the beams on the ceiling. Various healing supplies were carefully organized in baskets lining the walls. A roll of bandages rested neatly by her left foot._

_A slightly minty smell rose from her work; a green paste after she had added a bit of water. She exhaled softly, the breath escaping through her lips in a slight huff. Getting up slowly she retrieved a small jar from a nearby shelf, scooping up the newly made medicine into the terracotta pot. Taking a firm hold on that and picking up the bandages she made her way towards me._

_My eyes flashed in warning, a growl rising up in my throat instinctively as my hand twitched in readiness to strike. I was hurt and vulnerable, and my instincts said she was dangerous._

_"Hush," she said gently, "I won't hurt you. I only want to help." She gestured with her eyes to the jar and bandages in her hands. I eyed them warily. They couldn't possibly be for me; she had been working before I got there, the bandages lying by her side before I entered the hut. Noticing my gaze she smiled reassuringly. "I've known you were coming, sometimes I get visions of things to come. They don't come often, that's more Kirara's thing than mine." Her eyes lit up with a mischievous light, laughing at something only she understood. Her hand reached into the jar, coming out with a bit of the contents. She stretched her hand out towards me before pausing, glancing up to my face for permission to continue. I nodded, a bare inclination of my head._

_Her smile brightened up the room and made my heart beat faster and my face heat up. Luckily, I don't think she noticed for the second she got permission her hand had reached out to lightly touch my wounded side. The arrowhead and part of the shaft still in the wound. She pursed her lips as her eyes filled with disapproval, directed at me. Her left hand reached out towards my body, the tips of her fingers glowing a soft white. . . like a moonbeam. I flinched back from her power before relaxing as she started humming again._

_Her hand brushed lightly against my skin as she touched the arrow with the tip of her index finger, the ki sent pleasure shooting up and down my body so I barely noticed when the arrow head and shaft disintegrated while still in my flesh. Her hands were gentle as they smoothed the minty green paste into my wound. A thin layer quickly covered the entirety of the burn; then she paused. She stared fixedly at my side, her small hand hovering just above my skin. Small white lights appeared in her darkened eyes, like stars against the midnight sky._

_Immediately the burn of the miko ki in my wound stopped. . . just. . . stopped. Vanished, as if it was never there. All that was left was the arrow wound. Long arms covered in white carefully wrapped my lower torso in crisp white linen bandages, tying the knot tightly._

_With a small sigh the girl sat back on her heels, admiring her work before glancing up to meet my intense gaze. She looked away almost immediately, cheeks dusted a light pink._

_"Human," I said in my deep voice, "how did you do that?" Her head snapped up, the red on her cheeks now from anger rather than embarrassment. She pursed her lips, eyes sparking in anger._

_"My name," she started in a voice that created pleasurable shivers down my spine, "is NOT human." She sniffed delicately. "It's Kagome."_

_"Ka-go-me," I repeated slowly, liking the way the syllables rolled off my tongue. She shivered lightly at my voice. "Well, Ka-go-me, how is it you were able to do that?" She took a steadying breath before she met my gaze again, her eyes now sparkling with mischief._

_"Hi-mi-tsu." She purred. A stab of anger shot through me. Something in my eyes must have betrayed my feelings, because the mischievous sparkle brightened. "There are many things about me that are secret, and shall remain so unless we become more than strangers."_

_"Would these __secrets__ include knowledge about the Kirara that sees things that have not yet come to pass?" I questioned, wondering why I was being so – non-aggressive- around this girl. The sparkle brightened yet again._

_"But of course," she chirped cheerfully. "But," she continued slowly, "I suppose I might answer __one __question of yours. Think about it wisely." She retreated back to her side of the room. Instinct told me this was a test. My eyes followed her intently, and though she made no sign she was aware of that, we both knew she knew I was watching her. I huffed quietly, turning my gaze to wander around the hut, looking anywhere but her. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and I turned, squinting to see it better. The soft whiteness surrounding Kagome's form thickened near the area of her chest. A thin rope of the light twisted away from her body to __– my eyes followed it –__ to me._

_"The moonlight rope connecting us. . . what is it?" She smiled brightly, approvingly; I had passed._

_"Very few can see such a thing. You're mind is calm now (unhindered by your wound) so you can see it. You are one of six (I believe) who can do this. This thread is something everyone has. It is called a __soul mate bond__."_

_"You mean to tell me we are soul mates?" I interrupted derisively. "We are destined to fall in love? A human an-" she cut me off, a spark of anger turning her eyes a brilliant azure; sparkling like sapphires._

_"Destined to fall in love? Such a human definition." she scoffed mockingly, "Ha. It means no such thing. It simply means that our souls are extremely compatible with each other. . ." she floundered here, seemingly searching for the right words, "Humans and youkai and spirits have free will – The Five wouldn't even dream of taking away such an important decision away from people._

_"There are two different types of soul mates regardless. Only one red-string of fate can be held by a single person at a time but of the lesser bonds there can be countless connections. " She retorted, looking remarkably like an angered lion for such a delicate lady, "I myself hold such a bond with four others."_

_We stared into each other's eyes for many long minutes. Letting the heaviness of her words surround us in silence. Her lip quirked upwards in a slight smile, breaking the tense atmosphere that had fallen around the room. "You may stay here for the night; in the morning when you are rested you may leave. There will be – at that time – a portal to your world, two and a half kilometers due east of here."_

_When I woke the next morning, the hut was bare of anything but myself. All the herbs and jars were gone. . . along with Kagome._

XXXX

"Long black hair, blue eyes that remind you of the sea, not much taller than a child. . . For some reason," Yusuke mused, "that sounds familiar, something from years ago. . . and also from something not too long ago." Raizen looked at his descendent, interested.

"You've seen her?"

"During my mission with Sensui when we were getting into the cave we fought Game Master. Kurama had just revealed that if the kid was to lose in the game he'd die. Tsukihito panicked and started losing faster when he became really calm all of a sudden just before he lost. But right before he got calm there was a flash of a small transparent girl with inky black hair and dark blue eyes." Raizen sighed, a faint smile on his lips.

"That was her, most definitely. I said that she and the other four disguise themselves as mortals sometimes; she is better than any kitsune in changing her appearance."

"So she switched places with the kid, disguised as him?" Raizen nodded.

"Probably. She likes running around with mortals; it is her job and joy to help those innocents who cannot help themselves (and sometimes even those who can)." Yusuke hummed in thought.

"So. . . she just disappeared?" Raizen nodded again.

"Yes, she had been mentoring a miko-in-training in the village. She had been planning to leave a of couple days before that meeting, and then she got her vision, so she stayed."

"You met her later, right?"

"I had been thinking of her almost constantly since our first meeting. I wanted to know more about the human-who-was-not-human. Three months later she, along with a youkai lord from the human world, appeared on my doorstep, chasing after a thief. . ."


	3. Yusuke Meet Kagome

Do You Remember, Love?

By: Kage Hasu

Beta: Ayaia of the Moon

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or YuYu Hakusho and I know this because . . . I am not rich and I am not going to be any time soon. InuYasha and YuYu Hakusho belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi respectively.

Quote: "One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks."

Verse: "For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice _is known_ by multitude of words." Ecclesiastes 5:3

Chapter 2: Interlude: Yusuke . . . Meet Kagome

_Little six year old Yusuke huffed irritably at the sight of his mother. The rather pretty woman was completely drunk out of her mind and it wasn't even time for school yet._

_"Ma?" The brunette head turned away from the TV to gaze at her son, a lit cigarette held loosely in between slim fingers._

_"Ah~ Yu-Yusuke," Atsuko warbled, merrily waving a sake bottle at nothing. "Breakfast's on 'e table. Then ''ll walk ya ta school." Yusuke raised an eyebrow in an imitation of Togashi-sensei __when she didn't believe the excuses he came up with when he didn't do his homework. (Though perhaps saying that the furnace broke and he'd had to use his homework to keep from freezing wasn't such a good idea. . .) But the boy said nothing as he made his way towards the table and the Western style breakfast sitting there._

_He ate in silence, blankly watching his mother as she sang along with the shrieking singer on the television. There was – no way – she was going to be able to bring him to school in that state. _

_Not that he cared . . . much. _

_He was far too used to his mother's drunkenness for it to bother him as much as it had when he was even younger. Sure enough, by the time Yusuke was ready to head to school his mother had already passed out on the futon in what looked like a rather uncomfortable position._

_He wavered for a few indecisive seconds before repositioning his mother's body. That done he gently covered her up with the blankets. Yusuke gazed down at his snoring mother before he snorted softly. Grabbing his school things he made sure to lock the door on his way out._

_Two blocks away from school the high-pitched voice of a six year old girl reached his ears. His muscles tensed for a split second before relaxing as a small brunette bounded up to him. Irritably shaking the girl's arms off his shoulders, he turned to his best friend (not by his own violation he assures you) since kindergarten. _

_"Keiko." A bright smile made him blush. Before she could see the traitorous red on his cheeks he jerked his head away. The woman behind them giggled softly. Cheeks reddening even more at the sound, Yusuke turned around to greet her. "Oba-san."_

_"Good morning Yusuke. Where's your mother?" Keiko's mother questioned._

_"She passed out in front of the TV . . . again." Yusuke said irritably._

_"So early? But it's not even eight," Yukimura-san worried._

_"Ah"_

_There was a semi-comfortable silence during the rest of the walk to school. When they had reached the gates Yukimura-san held Yusuke back for a few seconds as her daughter impatiently jogged in place to wait for her friend._

_"Will she be picking you up from school?"_

_"Probably not, she'd have to be awake, not drunk, and not out partying." Yusuke said blandly, before added belatedly, "and she'd have to remember."_

_Yukimura-san bit her lip before coming to a decision._

_"If you want, Yusuke," she said softly, afraid of offending the independent boy. "Keiko-chan and I will walk you home after school."_

_"I'll be fine by myself." Yusuke's chin jutted out stubbornly, jaw clenched. Yukimura-san sighed._

_"All right," she conceded, deciding to try again after school. She watched the two elementary school students make their way to the front doors. She had to laugh at how different even the way they walked was. Yusuke's arms were crossed behind his head, his steps careless and his strides arrogant. Keiko, on the other hand, practically skipped every other step, her arms swinging merrily at her sides. _

_Yukimura-san didn't know why her daughter had wanted to make friends with such a rough boy as the Urameshi, but she could only hope that Keiko would have a positive influence on him. _

_That been said, she could see the signs of a budding crush in her little girl. Keiko was as stubborn as she was (that is to say more stubborn than a mule) on her best day. Come hell or high water, whatever trouble that boy stumbled into her little princess was going to be right behind him smacking the sense out of whatever opponents were on the agenda for the day._

_But it wasn't like he was _bad _boy. No. There was no way she could possibly say that about him. Not after she had overseen him cradling that injured calico kitten. She'd followed him to the vet's. After he'd left she'd questioned the receptionist about him – he'd paid for the bill with allowance money, all quarters and one dollar bills._

_With an absent father and a constantly drunk and partying mother, Yusuke had not been the kind of boy she wanted her little girl hanging around. But that day, just a week after Keiko had come home to declare she was going to be best friends with a delinquent in the making had calmed her mind. Yusuke was a good boy at heart and she'd grown fond of him in the past year. _

_Sighing softly she turned around only to be bowled over by a middle-aged woman with dark hair and sequin studded oval glasses hanging on a chain around her neck. A Styrofoam cup was held tightly in her left hand, the other clutching desperately on a stack of folders and books._

_She had a dignified appearance, someone who had been beautiful as a youth and hadn't yet lost that beauty._

_Yukimura-san held out a steadying hand to the woman who she recognized as Togashi-sensei, Keiko and Yusuke's current teacher._

_"Togashi-sensei," Yukimura-san gasped. __"You're very nearly late." Togashi-sensei juggled her possessions for a second, trying desperately not to drop anything. A slightly breathless chuckle escaped lightly glossed lips._

_"I know. I know. The baby had an 'emergency' this morning that had to be taken care of _immediately, _and I'm afraid I rather lost track of the time__." The teacher rolled her eyes, showing exactly what she thought about said emergency. Finally having caught her breath, Togashi-sensei straightened and was about to hurry to her class when a hand on her shoulder stopped her._

_Both women blinked in confusion. Yukimura-san shook herself quickly._

_"About Yusuke . . ." she trailed off as the woman gave her a knowing smile._

_"I'll make sure your son-in-law gets home safely." Amidst Yukimura-san's indignant stammers about how the both of them were far too young to even_ think _about such things. Togashi-sensei quickly made her leave so as to not be _too_ late to class._

_The day proceeded as normal for a class with Yusuke Urameshi in it. The boy had been transferred from class to class and teacher to teacher until he had reached Togashi-sensei's classroom. The woman was the only teacher in the first grade who could deal with the boy's attitude. _

_In fact, the little troublemaker actually seemed fond of his teacher. Later in life (14 years of age) Yusuke would admit that the woman had been the first person that he had actually looked up to, and he was extremely fond of her. ("And if you tell her I said that I'll make sure you can't ever talk again.")_

_Togashi-sensei would later be transferred to the middle school that Yusuke attended and (with Keiko Yukimura's assistance) was the only reason he even attended school at all._

_The final bell rang, causing greater fanfare in the classroom of older children than the one in which Keiko and Yusuke were a part of. As parents came to pick up their children, Togashi-sensei got a faraway look in her eyes before making a short trip to the bathroom; returning a few minutes later to wait with the few students whose parents were late._

_Finally, Yusuke was the only one left, having been given a stern talking-to by Togashi-sensei when he tried to leave by himself._

_"I can't in good conscience let a six year old walk home without an adult's supervision, little youkai. What if you get hurt or someone tries to mug you?" Togashi-sensei argued._

_"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself; there's no need to worry. I don't need any help." Yusuke protested._

_"I'm sure you can." _

_Yusuke grimaced, feeling rather patronized."I can," he was _not _whining. Really. "I'll beat up anyone who bothers me." _

_His teacher looked at him in poorly veiled amusement."You might have to wait a couple years to be able to make that claim without being a horrid liar."_

_". . . But you think I can do it?" Yusuke looked up. She smiled softly._

_"Not right now," Before the boy could take that the wrong way, she continued: "In a few years I'm absolutely positive you'll be able to give _anyone_ a run for their money and win most of the time to boot__." She glanced down just in time to see the small smile that Yusuke quickly hid. "But that day is not today. Just remember that no matter how strong you are . . . you can always be beaten."_

_Just then a young woman, probably about the same age as Yusuke's mother (21), came rushing up to lean against the door frame as she caught her breath._

_"Goodness, all I seem to be doing today is running and trying to catch my breath." The woman murmured aloud. Feeling the weight of two stares on her back, the woman turned to look at her audience. She wiggled her fingers nervously, in what the two took as a wave._

_She looked remarkably like Togashi-sensei – if about twenty-five years or so younger. Perhaps she was Togashi-sensei's daughter? They both had a round face and the same sparkling pink eyes as well as the same dark blue hair (even if Togashi-sensei's was sparingly sprinkled with gray). The newcomer was wearing a light pink yukata and had her long hair up in a high ponytail. _

_Strangely enough (not that Yusuke knew it at the time) the new girl looked exactly like Botan would if she were about ten years older with darker hair. (This would, eventually, lead to Yusuke's rather violent reaction at first meeting the bubbly Ferry Girl.)_

_"There you are Ayame." Yusuke's teacher said (rather amusedly Yusuke thought), raising her eyebrow at Ayame's out of breath state. (Yes, Togashi-sensei was Yusuke's sole role model at the moment) _

_"Sorry M-Mother," Ayame chuckled rather breathlessly. "The baby had _another_ 'emergency.' He can be such a horrible boss sometimes."_

_"What'd ya do?" Yusuke piped up curiously. Ayame pierced him with bright pink eyes. He was suddenly hit with the odd feeling of everything that made him himself being examined and hoped desperately he was only imagining it. Ayame grinned brightly and the feeling was gone. Yusuke almost sighed in relief._

_"I called him a pipsqueak and said that no matter how you cut it he still didn't look older than me."_

_"What'd he say to that?" _

_Ayame grimaced."He said I was going to get spankings."_

_"And?" _

_Ayame deflated.". . . I got spanked."_

_The boy giggled. Mother and daughter exchanged delighted looks before they too collapsed in laughter. It took a few minutes for them to regain their composure because every time they stopped all it took was eye contact with someone else and they'd start up again. Finally able to breathe properly, Ayame took a few deep breaths before addressing the still giggling boy._

_"So are you ready to go Yusuke-chan?" Yusuke blinked before scowling at the pretty lady._

_"Don't call me that."_

_"Are you_ sure_?" Yusuke (rather stupidly) ignored the mischievous spark in Ayame's eyes and the suddenly amused look on Togashi-sensei's face and nodded decisively._

_"Yes."_

_"If you say so Yu-chan." Yusuke twitched but let it go. Next she'd be calling him chibi-chan._

_"So you're taking me home?" Yusuke asked, expecting a nod._

_"No, I'm taking you to an amusement park." _

_"An amusement park?" Yusuke parroted._

_"Yes. Do you not want to go?" Even if Yusuke _hadn't_ wanted to go (but really what six year old boy wouldn't want to?) the kicked puppy dog look Ayame pinned him with took away any resistance he might have had. It was positively lethal._

_After stammering out his reassurance that – Yes he wanted to go very much how could she possibly think he didn't? – both Ayame and Yusuke were off to enjoy an afternoon at the amusement park._

_Left staring after the two in amused fondness, __Togashi-sensei's form blurred before reforming into a large blue ogre with long yellow hair and dressed in a tiger-print loincloth (__even as a male with blue skin a girl had to stay in fashion).__ Smile dissolving into a frown at the thought of his boss, Koenma, Prince of the Spirit World, Jorge Saotome disappeared back into the Spirit World. _

_Kagome had, for more than two centuries, played the part of Jorge Saotome when not in the Human World completing her job as the Angel. More and more lately, however, she had been needed in two places at once. Thus, the girl had created a Shikigami to be where she could not. _

_A shikigami is a kind of summoned spirit which is similar to a western witch's familiar. A shikigami can take many different forms such as Tsubaki's serpent, Kikyou's Shinidamachu, as well as Kocho and Asuka. _

_As it is a spirit a shikigami cannot be killed by physical means and instead turns into a little paper doll with a hair wrapped around it. When this happens it is a simple matter to re-summon the spirit. _

_The real Kagome had arrived at school that morning after leaving the Spirit World, when she had gone to the bathroom she had switched places with the Shikigami before returning to the Human World as Ayame Togashi. While Kagome (as Ayame) spent more time with her favorite descendent in a form that he didn't despise on principle the Shikigami (as Jorge) would run errands and generally lighten the atmosphere in Koenma's office__. _

_Back with Ayame (aka Kagome) and Yusuke at the amusement park. Yusuke was trying his very best to get the girl to ride the Mystery Coaster™ with him. Ayame, remembering the last time she went on an extremely fast ride with loop-de-loops, was understandably rather hesitant._

_The Mystery Coaster™ came to a stop with Yusuke laughing uproariously at his ghostly companion. Stumbling off the ride, Ayame had to grab a hold of the wall as the world seemed to tilt. You'd think being thousands of years old would have made her able to handle a single roller coaster. Apparently not. _

_The two distant relatives wandered around the park, buying whatever caught their fancy and riding anything that Yusuke decided sounded like fun. (Unfortunately for his companion this included quite a few more rides which caused a similar reaction as the first coaster.) Yusuke was picking at his cotton candy when Ayame saw a photo booth out the corner of her eye. _

_Yusuke was already five paces in front of her when he realized she had stopped. Spinning on his heel, the boy retraced his steps to stop in front of the tall woman as she gazed intently at the booth. _

"_'Nee-san?" The questioning tone of the boy who reminded Kagome so much of her beloved mate immediately caught the black-haired girl's attention. She looked down, looking almost comically surprised to see her many times great-grandson standing there staring at her with metaphorical question marks above his head. _

_Yusuke almost took a step back as Ayame's pink eyes lit up with a feverish glow (leading him to question her relative sanity)._

_"Yu-chan." Yusuke sighed in longsuffering; having been called such throughout their whole 'date', the boy no longer winced at the affectionate shortening of his name. __"Why don't we get our pictures taken at that booth over there? That way, you'll never forget today." Feeling as though his stronger companion would drag him there whether he agreed or not, Yusuke reluctantly agreed. Ayame squealed happily, gleefully scooping up the small boy and practically teleporting to the picture booth. (And with the subject in question . . . she might actually _have_ teleported.) _

_The two made increasingly funny faces behind the heavy curtain as their pictures were taken (and if the last picture was missing their faces because Ayame had tickle tackled the young boy. . . Well, that was hardly their fault now wasn't it?). _

_It was a rather exhausted duo that made their way back to Yusuke's apartment later that evening. They chattered about nonsensical things and about what they had done at the park until they had almost made it to Yusuke's place when he made a passing mention of Keiko and what had happened last week. _

_"You and Keiko had an argument last week?" Ayame asked gently, "the cute little brunette girl that walked with you to school and spent the whole day shadowing your every footstep?" Yusuke nodded glumly at her questioning. _

_"I like having Keiko has my friend." Yusuke admitted this as though it caused him great pains to say. "I don't like it when we argue. We made up yesterday." The two silently came to a stop in front of Yusuke's apartment door. Ayame knelt so she could look at Yusuke face-to-face. _

_"Yusuke, I'm going to give you some advice that will serve you until the day you die." He looked at her doubtfully. "Whenever you get into an argument with Keiko, complement her and then just apologize. Even if it. Wasn't. Your. Fault. It's something every husband learns eventually." Ayame mumbled the last sentence softly. _

_"Really?" _

_"Really." _

_Yusuke thought about this for a bit. And, with naïve six-year-old logic, came to the following conclusion: When he argued with Keiko, complement her, and then ask her to marry him. Yusuke nodded. That sounded like it could actually work. _

_"Okay, nee-chan." Ayame smiled at her descendant brightly before planting a quick kiss on his forehead. As the boy "eww'd" in disgust and tried to wipe off the small gift, Ayame took the opportunity to embrace one of Kagome favorite people. _

_Yusuke quieted. As Ayame continued to hold him and the warmth seeped into his small body, Yusuke relaxed and laid his head on her shoulder. _

_"You're going to have a rough life, Yusuke," Ayame whispered. "But keep close to your friends and you'll be just fine. You have a good heart. Remember that Yusuke. Promise me." _

_"I promise nee-chan." _

_"Good boy." That being said, Ayame momentarily tightened her hold on the boy before standing; her eyes a bit too glassy for the comfort of any male, even one who hadn't yet hit puberty. Mussing up Yusuke's hair, Ayame turned to walk away. Feeling a sudden surge of affection for the woman whom he had grown close to in such a short time, Yusuke lunged forward suddenly to grasp her legs in an impromptu hug. _

_"Will I see you again?" The boy buried his face in Ayame's legs. Eyes hidden, he was unable to see the smile that lit up her face at the question. _

_"Why Yusuke, you see me almost every day, even if you don't recognize me." _

_"Really?" _

_"Truly." _

_Sniffling slightly and trying desperately to hide it, Yusuke reluctantly let go of Ayame's legs. He stepped back, lightly rubbing at his eyes. "Keep those pictures safe Yusuke. And remember what I said alright?" _

_"Alright, see you later Nee-chan." Barely ten paces away from where she had left Yusuke, Ayame's form blurred and reformed into a much shorter woman with long black hair. The figure turned around suddenly and Yusuke realized his surprise had escaped him in a gasp just as his surprised brown eyes met beautiful stormy blue-gray ones. Before she disappeared with nary a sound or sparkle, Ayame, now Kagome, winked playfully at Yusuke. _

_Yusuke stared at the place she had disappeared at for a good many moments _

I hope I see her soon.

XXXX

Jorge sighed in remembrance of how sweet Yusuke had been as a child. He was a bit rougher around the edges now, but it only made him even more like her beloved mate.

Kagome (as Togashi-sensei) had been with Yusuke throughout his elementary years. When the boy hit twelve and was moved up to the middle school everyone realized just how much influence the teacher had on him. Togashi-sensei was given an offer of transfer and once again taught Yusuke's class. Only two teachers in the school (Togashi-sensei and Takenaka-sensei, the guidance counselor) could deal with the boy without having a nervous breakdown . . . or end up hating him.

Remembering some of Yusuke's other teachers (that rat faced one – Akashi-sensei – and the one that got infected by the Four Saint Beasts – Iwamoto-sensei – for example) put a sneer on her face even when they weren't even in the same world as she was.

Jorge's lip curled without his notice as he filed papers.

"OGRE!" Came a shout from Koenma's office. "Hurry up with those papers." Behind Jorge's shouted assurances Kagome rolled her eyes. As much as the boy had grown up since he had made Yusuke his Spirit Detective . . . there were times when she really wanted to bend him over her knee and spank him.


	4. We Meet Again Part 1

Do You Remember, Love?

By: Kage Hasu

Beta: Ayaia of the Moon

Disclaimer: The men in black suits outside my door say I'm required to say the following don't belong to me: InuYasha and YuYu Hakusho. InuYasha and YuYu Hakusho belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi respectively.

Quote: "No living being is a one man show. Every decision you make will affect the countless people that care about you." – Genkai

Verse: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

A/N: Previous chapter have been beta'd and a few changes have been made to them.

Chapter 3: We Meet Again Part 1

_It had been three months since my meeting with the human-who-was-not-human and there was not a day where my thoughts didn't invariably turn towards her. It was rather vexing. My subjects knew that something had happened in the human world . . . but none were brave enough to ask. Not even Hoksuhin, my right hand._

That _was even more vexing. _

_My mind lingered far too often for my comfort on the swell of her breasts bared to my gaze after she had parted the collar of her yukata. It marveled on the contrast of inky black hair against the paleness of her skin. It loved thinking about her lips and her hands. This of course led to thoughts that are not suitable for the ears of children. _

_The subject of soul mates – much to my consternation – didn't cross my mind half as much as the way her eyes had twinkled when she was up to something or how stunning I thought her smile was. And the half that such bonds did cross my mind it wasn't to wonder over the mechanics of such a thing, but rather how the girl who was human-but-not had looked while explaining the concept. _

_And that would not do. _

_Not at all. _

_For a Mazoku to feel such things towards something that set one's instincts into overdrive – that was extremely dangerous. For my instincts to react so _strongly_ to something like her – something I wasn't even sure what she was – was even more dangerous. Not only for the two of us, but also for my throne, my people, and my kingdom. _

_If my subjects felt that she was a threat to my kingdom, my rule, myself, or my sanity then they would eliminate her. The thing which worried me was this: she was a threat. She was a threat because in such a small amount of time – really only about an hour or so – she had ensnared me. The thought of her dying, of never seeing her again, filled me with such sadness that sometimes I had trouble taking in air. But really that was the problem. _

_No ruler could have such a weakness to exploit – for the safety of everything he held dear. _

_There is a reason that so many rulers are thought of as cold and uncaring. And the reason is: because when they care for something – when a monarch cares for something so much that they would give their very_ life_ to protect it – it is either their greatest strength (their kingdom) or their greatest weakness (their wife or children). And enemies used your weaknesses against you, they reveled in doing so. _

_They loved the look of hopelessness and defeat in your eyes as you realize that they took your most precious thing from you. They love that moment when you make a last desperate rush at them, to make them _hurt _for what you did to them and theirs – kingdom, wife, child, or friend. _

_I tell you this from experience, you know, for I am one of those who have done this time and time again. _

_I slumped tiredly, lazily resting my chin in a clawed hand. My gaze (heavy with disdain) lingered on the papers littering my desk. You'd think – wouldn't you – that in a world where the inhabitants love and thrive on chaos, destruction, and war that there wouldn't be anything so dull as _paperwork_. _

_Sigh._

_But even in a world where there has been so much bloodshed that the sky is red instead of the blue of the Human World, there are such sad, tedious things as politics and paper trails. We do, after all, have a rather large treasury, and "one has to keep track of what is happening in the kingdom and where the kingdom's resources are going Your Majesty." _

_Not my words. _

_I held back a whimper at the piles of paper on my desk. I swore up and down that the stupid things were capable of breeding. Hoksuhin maintained that I had let my duties slide in the past three months. Incidentally, three months ago I encountered Kagome. _

_Faint footsteps echoed from the hall. Hurried, they were making their way up the stairs to the only tower room in the castle, to my office. I hurriedly tried to look like I had been doing paperwork for hours (No, I did not pretend to fall asleep and drool, ruining important papers). _

_Seitei, the shortest of the Four Monks, rushed into the room, panting lightly. _

_Hm. He'd have to step up his training. _

'He's going to be begging for _death_ by the time we're done with him.'

_Oh, you hear that too? The Voice – naming it would just be further proof of my insanity – had been with me since birth. Sometimes, out of the corner of my eye I could almost imagine catching a glimpse of gold and blue. Still, it (he?) generally kept me out of trouble, insulted me, or gave advice. I'd just ignore it (him?)._

'Oh well _that's_ not a nice thing to say.'

"_Milord," despite the fact he was obviously a bit out of breath, the words were calm and composed. I was reluctantly impressed. "Lord Sesshoumaru from the Western Moon Kingdom of the Human World and a child are here and request your presence in the Great Hall. He refuses to speak to anyone else."_

_There are four kingdoms in the Human World: The Western Moon Kingdom, the Eastern Forest Kingdom, the Northern Mountain Kingdom, and the Southern Sea Kingdom. The four rulers (the Dog, the Panther, the Dragon, and the Turtle) are known as lords as opposed to the Three Kings here in the Demon World. _

_I rose. _

_It was a grave insult to keep someone of such status and power waiting. Even half a decade ago I wouldn't have bothered; however, barely two years ago a youkai who had once been a hanyou and before that . . . a human, had been defeated by Sesshoumaru and a small group of humans and youkai. Word was that Sesshoumaru's power had risen exponentially during that time. _

_Out of the four lords, Sesshoumaru was the only one worth knowing in my opinion. This had little to do with the fact that his father, Touga, had been a good friend of mine. (In fact, I didn't even _know _the names of the Panther Lord or the Dragon Lord since Yusei and Ryukotsusei had been killed by the former Dog Lord)_

_My soft soled shoes made no noise on the stone floors as I made my way to meet with Lord Sesshoumaru and the . . . child . . ._

"_Seitei," _

_He jumped, obviously not expecting me to talk to him. _

'Twitchy little thing, isn't he?'

_I held back a derisive snort. "Why would Lord Sesshoumaru bring a child with him?" _

_There was an awkward silence. _

'Oh they didn't!'

"_I'm not sure Milord." Seitei said rather sheepishly. "No one has inquired."_

"They did."

_My lips thinned. _

_Such a gross oversight. E, D, and C-class youkai and oni were always moving from the Human World to the Demon World, sometimes B-class youkai also traveled, but less often did A or S-class youkai find a reason to cross over. Sesshoumaru, who was a Lord, rarely ever left his _lands _never mind his _world. _For him to not only be in Demon World but at my castle . . . it had to be important. For him to bring a child with him . . . _

"_Sesshoumaru is a lord, Seitei, for him to leave both his lands and his world and come here is an oddity. But for him to come with a child is inconceivable. The identity of the child is of utmost importance in such a situation . . . and no one bothered to inquire as to the identity of such an important figure?" My voice was calm, belying the anger I felt at such thoughtless actions. Some of my ki lashed out at my companion; perhaps giving Seitei an idea of the anger my calm words might have disillusioned him too. _

_He was quick to reassure me that such an oversight would be rectified immediately. I nodded sharply. He gave me a short bow and a shaky "Milord" before rushing off. _

_Little more than a minute later I had reached the doors of the great hall. Heavy though they were I opened them easily. All eyes but two immediately jumped towards me. _

_It was a rather empty room; with great stone arches and minimal seating (it would just have to be replaced the next time someone lost their temper). The Four Monks were present, as well as a small scattering of some of my other subjects. Lord Sesshoumaru stood, resplendent in white and well protected in his armor. _

_I'd always marveled at the Moon Kingdom royalty's insistence on wearing white to all events. Both Touga and Sesshoumaru had worn white to battle and it was always perfectly perfect, even after the opposing army lay rotted and bloating in the sun. It boggled the mind; blood was so hard to get out._

_Next to him was a tiny figure in a heavy white cloak. The hood was drawn so low over the child's face that my eyes could barely see even the bottom half of her face (for such delicate features could only belong to a female). One tiny hand had parted the folds of the cloak and grasped the end of Sesshoumaru's trailing sleeve in what could easily be mistaken as insecurity, but which looked more like a restraining or calming hand than anything to me. _

_For some reason . . . the little girl seemed rather familiar to me. As if I'd met her before. But that was, of course, impossible. I hadn't been to the Western Lands since Touga's death a little more than two hundred years ago; this fragile little thing couldn't be more than a fifty. _

_A low growl reached my ears. Looking up my eyes met the burning golden gaze of the girl's companion. The message in the deadly stare was crystal clear: Back off! _

_I chuckled darkly. As if. _

"_I heard you requested my presence Lord Sesshoumaru. I am quite interested in what business a Lord from the Human World could have here." My gaze returned to the child's silent figure beside him. "And to bring a child with you no less." _

_A slight smile tugged the lord's lips upwards. _

_I felt a burst of curiosity. From what I remembered (and it hadn't changed from what I'd heard) Sesshoumaru was as emotional as an ice cube and about just as warm._

'The ice cube has feelings after all.'

_He glanced down fondly at the girl before placing a heavy hand on a tiny shoulder. _

"_She is anything but a child Milord; she's actually older than you." I gave no indication of my incredulity. There were many raised eyebrows in the chamber as the gathered digested that claim. _

_Eyes were drawn to the no-really-a-child as an outraged hiss issued from the darkness beneath the hood. The hood tilted just enough that one could easily imagine bright eyes glaring at her stoic companion. _

"_Sesshoumaru-_chan_," she drawled sweetly, "When you are in possession of a woman's age you do not go about spreading exactly how old she is to almost strangers . . ."_

_She was still talking but I couldn't for the life of me tell you what she said. The bell-like quality of Sesshoumaru's companion brought me back three months ago in a tiny hut on the outskirts of a small unimportant village somewhere in the Dragon's territory. _

_I hadn't moved a muscle since she had started talking but the only one who had possibly noticed my uncharacteristic silence and inactivity was the (rather ironically) the cause of the whole thing. Sesshoumaru was gazing at me in thinly veiled amusement, blatantly ignoring the girl giving him a piece of her mind. Fortunately she seemed to be very used to this, as she made no move to indicate that his lack of attention would cause her to figuratively 'fly off the handle.' _

'Hm, quite a sight that would be wouldn't it?' _The Voice purred suggestively. I could almost 'see' the leer on his (its?) face. _

_Regaining my composure, and hoping desperately that my face wasn't red, I approached the two people causing so much wild chaos in the normally controlled chaos that ran rampart throughout Demon World. I tried not to stare at Kagome but I couldn't prevent my gaze from returning to her form every once in awhile. _

"_I see," I said, referring to the new knowledge of the not-child. "Now, what is it that you have come here for?" I was being blunt, but being me I could get away with it._

_One of the few perks of being the most powerful youkai in the four realms._

'Modest, aren't you?'

"_There is a thief which has stolen something very . . . precious to me," a slight nod to indicate the girl beside him. "Kagome has been informed that the thief will make his way here in nine weeks. I have duties to attend to in the Western Lands and cannot pursue him or wait for him here. I am requesting that you give Kagome a place to stay while she waits for the thief."_

_As much as I liked the idea of Kagome staying in my castle for nine weeks, that story had quite a few holes in it. Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice this._

"_Who told her such a thing? How do they know that he will come here? Why would he? If they know he will come here then why don't they know where he is now?" Hoksuhin questioned, sounding very much like a gossiping housewife to my mind. _

_I ignored the sounds of hysterical laughter from a source even _I_ couldn't see. _

_Two tiny hands rose and pulled down a heavy woolen hood and for the first time in three months I saw Kagome's face. My breath caught in my throat and I was sure that if I had a heartbeat it would have faltered and stopped. _

"_Kirara told me." Her soft voice was strong and caught and held everyone's attention. "She is always getting visions of things that have yet to be. It is what she is." She shrugged a petite shoulder carelessly. "He is not coming_ here _specifically but he will pass by just a kilometer and half in that direction." She pointed in a direction that was a few degrees off due north. _

"_Does this . . . Kirara know where he is now?" Hoksuhin questioned again. Kagome blinked innocently._

"_Not her, but her mate does." She corrected. _

"_Then why do you not go there?"_

"_Destiny is Destiny." Well that wasn't at all ambiguous was it? "Besides, I really want to meet someone and if I don't stay here for at least nine weeks then he won't even be born." Kagome pouted prettily at the thought. "Plus, this way InuYasha will kill someone who would have otherwise killed someone else who is the ancestor of the Battousai. Kirara isn't quite sure how that works out but she did some research on how we should approach the problem and she found that without the Battousai the future of Japan is quite dark. Quite literally. Her visions just went black. Apparently the Battousai is one of those really important people that without him or his ancestors the fabric of reality tears." She seemed quite unconcerned about that fact._

"_You don't seem to find that worrisome at all." Nankai, the fourth monk, commented. _

"_Well, no not really. We've been making sure that Time and Destiny never butt heads for far too long to be worried. They do argue quite a bit." _

"_How do you mean?"_

"_Well sometimes something happens where Time says that so-and-so person has to die because that hit was a fatal, but Destiny says that that person has to live because she has big plans for them. Then they argue quite loudly causing Shippou to turn back time so that I'm able to step in and interfere and get it right. If we don't then we do it over and over until everything's back on track. (I believe that's what mortal's call a time loop.) It's rather hard though," she continued, almost to herself, "to keep things the way that we remember them so that things turn out the way that they must to lead up to a series of events that lead to us becoming what we are now so that we could make sure that everything turns out the way that we remember it. Frankly it gives me a headache anytime I think about it too hard, but I suppose that's time travel for you." _

_Her voice was a low, musing mutter by the time she'd finished and I had the feeling that she'd forgotten she even had an audience. An awkward cough caused her head to snap to the culprit. _

_She shrugged rather self-consciously. _

"_Yes, well . . . InuYasha will accidently pass through a portal between the two worlds two days after he kills the person in question. He will appear just a few hours to the north and I'll be able to catch him then. Silly mutt." She grinned wickedly. Several of my people shivered._

'Now really,'_ it (he?) said irritably, _'such an evil expression just shouldn't be able to appear so easily on such an angelic face.'

_I nodded in agreement absently. Something about the name 'InuYasha' had been bothering me._

"_Silly mutt," Kagome had said._

_It clicked. _

"_InuYasha . . ." I said slowly, rolling the name around on my tongue. "Isn't that the name of your younger half-brother Lord Sesshoumaru?" The man stiffened, his disgust at hanyou in general and his father's bastard child well-known, but much to my surprise, answered._

"_Yes, the thief is indeed my half-brother." Hm~. Well that was bound to be an interesting story._

"_. . . I see."_

"_I'm sure you do." I ignored the slightly amused tone to the younger man's voice._

"_Might you share exactly how the Heir Apparent to the Western Lands became a common thief . . . from his own house no less?"_

XXXX

Unbeknownst to the two Toshin their meeting was not going unwatched.

"It's been a really long 500 years . . . hasn't it my dearest Sango?" A deep, masculine voice purred. A feminine figure flinched.

"I just wanted to be sure that he was the best choice for her." This time it was woman's voice who spoke.

"Che, if I didn't know better I would have thought that you would have preferred she mated _Sesshoumaru_, Sango . . . so long as it wasn't the Mazoku." Another male voice spoke, this one not as deep as the first and with a mischievous quality to it.

A short silence before. . .

"Shippou-chan please don't talk like that. You sound like InuYasha when you say things like that." 'Shippou-chan' shrugged before whispering in the fourth figure's furry ear.

"Notice Sango didn't deny it, Kirara?" Two hands – one slim and feminine, the other strong and masculine – rose to politely cover amused smiles and stifle laughter (which they managed to turn into short coughs) as 'Sango' turned her glare on them before turning to the culprit.

***bonk***

"I do believe she heard you Shippou." The first voice deadpanned. Clawed hands grasped painfully at a large bump. Slightly teary eyes glared at the first figure.

"Whatever gave you that idea, Miroku?"

'Miroku' shrugged carelessly ("Just a thought") before turning to the last figure.

"Kirara, do you know what Lady Kagome has been up to in the past couple decades. I don't see her as much as I'd like." Miroku sounded very regretful about that fact. Sad, old eyes gazed at the other three.

"She's been in the Human World and the Spirit World, keeping an eye on all her descendants, especially in recent years. She's really taken a shine to that Yusuke boy. I believe it might be because he reminds her so much of Raizen. The past five centuries have been really hard on her; there are shadows in her eyes that none of the bloodiest, cruelest youkai wars caused . . .

"She's taken up a teaching position at Yusuke's school. In the Spirit World I believe she's taken the form of one of Koenma's ogres. Jorge Saotome, I think . . ." 'Kirara's' voice was husky and decidedly feline-like.

Sango, Miroku, and Shippou stared at Kirara in shock. An embarrassed blush rose on her cheeks.

"But . . . but Jorge has been Koenma's help for more than two and a half centuries." Sango protested.

"Yes, she has been planning this for awhile hasn't she?"

Silence.

"We really hurt her by keeping the two of them apart . . . didn't we." Shippou whispered. Miroku turned scornful eyes on the younger man.

"She wouldn't talk to the three of you for almost three _centuries_ . . ." Shippou, Kirara, and Sango flinched violently. "Before that the longest she gave any of us the silent treatment was eleven days when Shippou created a time loop for twenty-three years so that he could get the date with that mortal girl _perfect_ . . . she was stuck quelling the uprising in the Netherworld with me (the same four and a half-ish hours) for 23 years, 10 months, 15 days, 19 hours, and 55 minutes. . ." Kirara's hands clenched at the reminder of the pretty human. Sharp claws punctured her hands, blood running down her fingers to plop softly on the ground.

"We had to make sure he wasn't like other youkai, wanting to taint her pure soul. Like that Itsuki with Shinobu." Shippou defended weakly.

"For five centuries?" Miroku retorted scornfully. The other three flinched again. "Not only did she have to give up her child so that the fabric of the world wouldn't rip, but she also had to leave the man she loved – the father of her child – for no reason other than a silly made up trial and your three's overprotectiveness. Because that's all that silly trial was – overprotectiveness." By the time he had finished the other three were as pale as ghosts and the two females had misty eyes.

"Do you think she'll forgive us?" Sango whispered.

"She's talking to you isn't she," Miroku returned harshly. "But I don't think she'll be able to fully forgive you until she is in Raizen's arms again. When that happens she very liable to forgive and forget." He sounded disapproving of the fact that Kagome could forgive the other three for keeping her away from her other half for _five centuries_. He knew that had anyone tried to keep Sango from him for even a fraction of that time he would have created chaos and mass panic. Possibly a couple million undead zombies ravaging the countryside would have gotten the message across. Possibly.

"I hope so," Kirara murmured. "We've missed her."

"Can I go get her?" Shippou pleaded with Miroku. "It will have been exactly five centuries in 98 minutes and 15 . . . 14 . . . 13—" ("We get the idea," Kirara interrupted.) "— seconds." Miroku stared blankly at the former fox youkai.

"I don't know where she is. Finding people is Lady Kagome's expertise, it's how she's evaded the three of you for so long." He added blandly.

They smiled sheepishly. Miroku rolled his eyes. Sango, Kirara, and Shippou sighed in relief at the small gesture of forgiveness.

"Che," Miroku said, looking at the two figures on the screen, "This will be an awkward meeting."

There was an awkward silence. Shippou chortled happily.

"Now _Miroku's_ the one who sounds like InuYasha," he chuckled before disappearing into thin air.

A pause . . . then ***slap***

"Keep your hands to yourself. Stupid pervert."

A content sigh.


	5. We Meet Again Part 2

Do You Remember, Love?

By: Kage Hasu

Beta: None

Disclaimer: Luke Skywalker isn't mine. Oh, wait, wrong story! InuYasha and YuYu Hakusho belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi respectively.

Quote: "We should eat as many as we want . . . they multiply like they're fighting extinction anyway." – Yomi

Verse: "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman." Proverbs 21:19

A/N: Kagome's outfit is shamelessly taken (with permission) from =Hrelice at .com/art/Princess-Kagome-205999023

Chapter 4: We Meet Again Part 2

"_Might you share exactly how the Heir Apparent to the Western Lands became a common thief . . . from his own house no less?" The stories I had heard about InuYasha were not as numerous as those of his elder brother, but they all described him being an honorable figure, capable of wielding the famed Tessaiga of his father._

_Sesshoumaru and Kagome exchanged looks. A bolt of emotion I didn't care to define burned through my chest as the two conversed without words. _

_Huffing irritably as she apparently lost the argument, Kagome stepped forward. _

"_As I was present for most events I will be the one to tell the tale. No doubt you are all in possession of the knowledge of how the Shikon Jewel came to be, as well as the Human World war a few years ago, centering around the former human, Naraku, yes?" _

_Of course every resident of the Demon World was acutely aware of the human who had managed to rid himself of his human heart and embrace a reality as a full-blooded youkai. It was a matter of interest to the more powerful youkai such as myself, but to the lowest classes it was very much a matter of life and death. Word had been brought by members of the E-class and the un-classed fleeing the Human World for the questionable safety of Demon World: Naraku had the ability to absorb youkai into his body to make himself stronger._

_Not waiting for an answer, Kagome started the telling of a story which would forever change my outlook of her._

"_Centuries ago, never mind just how many exactly, Lady Midoriko fought a human-turned-youkai called Magatsuhi and was only able to defeat him when, in desperation, she forced his soul out of his body, unintentionally bringing out her own. The souls combined and crystallized, forming the Shikon Jewel. Midoriko and Magatsuhi's bodies were retrieved by the taijiya and entombed in a cave on the outskirts of the new site for their village._

"_The Jewel passed from human to youkai and back again, bringing destruction and misfortune to all who held it and were without strong purification powers. A little more than fifty years ago the Jewel resurfaced in the corpse of Mistress Centipede by the leader of the taijiya. Unable to keep the Shikon from being tainted they searched for a miko – strong and pure – to entrust with the Jewel. _

"_Two such candidates were found: Tsubaki and Kikyou, both pupils of the same master. Kikyou was chosen to become the guardian, leaving Tsubaki extremely jealous. Tsubaki later cursed Kikyou so that when she found love her death would be the only result. Being a miko and therefore forbidden to either fall in love or marry this failed to bother Kikyou._

"_During this time Kikyou had found an injured bandit who would undoubtedly die from his injuries. Taking pity on him, she hid him in a cave outside of her village, bandaging his injuries and looking after him. This man – Onigumo was his name – fell in love with the kind, beautiful miko who cared for him. The Shikon tainted this love into a lustful desire for both the miko and itself." _

"_You speak as though the Shikon is sentient." Seitei interrupted. _

_Kagome looked at him as though he were stupid, "It was sentient. . ."_

_Implying, of course, that the Shikon was no longer in existence. _

"_Aware of his malformed body and his eminent death, Onigumo called forth a swarm of youkai and made a deal with them. They devoured his soul, giving him in return a new, strong body. However, the desires of the many beings that now made up his form overpowered the bandit's want for the miko. This new creature, Naraku, fatally wounded Kikyou in the guise of InuYasha before tricking her into sealing the real InuYasha to the Goshinboku. InuYasha was sealed, and Kikyou died, each believing that the other had betrayed them. Kikyou's body was burned with the Shikon, taking the cursed jewel with her to the Spirit World. _

"_Naraku had disappeared. _

"_Only a few weeks before Naraku's reappearance, a strange and unusual girl appeared. Soon revealed to be the reincarnation of Kikyou, the girl carried the Shikon in her body. Through a series of events that took place over the course of a few days, the Jewel was stolen from her body and shattered – pieces of the Jewel scattering to all corners of Japan. _

"_InuYasha had the strength to retrieve the shards, but was unable to find them. The miko was able to find the shards but, untrained in her powers as she was, the girl was unable to retrieve them. Together they made a perfect team to piece together the shattered Shikon – regardless of their feelings towards the other."_

_There was a story there, I decided, taking in the mask-like quality of Kagome's face, the glacial ice in her eyes, and the eerily calm tone of her voice. _

"_They traveled all across Japan in their search for the shards. As they did so, the miko was unable to keep from helping those in need. In doing so they made allies and gained four traveling companions. First an orphan fox kit whose father had been killed by two youkai for the shards he carried, a monk whose grandfather had been given a cruel and unusual curse by Naraku before his disappearance, the last free taijiya, and her nekomata companion._

"_Using a piece of the miko girl's soul and the remains of the previous guardian of the Shikon, a witch revived Kikyou. For various reasons, some which are valid and others more mysterious, Kikyou began helping the creature responsible for her death._

"_His love for the returned miko eclipsing anything anyone living could have given him, InuYasha switched sides to be with his first love, uncaring of the friends and love he left behind._

"_Naraku was defeated by the combined efforts of Lord Sesshoumaru, the monk, kit, miko, nekomata, and taijiya, as well as the friends and allies made by InuYasha's former friends. Kikyou was put to rest and InuYasha's five companions disappeared._

"_Meanwhile, grief stricken and almost driven mad from having lost his soul mate a second time, InuYasha also disappeared."_

_I was barely able to contain an outward show of my sudden worry. Was it possible to be driven mad from losing your soul mate? If so, Kagome would be seen as even more of a threat. _

'Not that you'd let something like that stop you from getting something you really wanted, right?'

_I smirked lazily. _

_Certainly not._

"_He was branded a traitor, both for joining Naraku's army in the Final Battle and for killing the miko and grievously injuring the kit."_

_Shadows entered her blue-gray eyes, her suddenly ancient looking eyes appearing at odds with her youthful face. A whisper of thought, a startling idea, passed through my mind so fleetingly I couldn't be sure exactly what it had been before it was gone. Drifting just out of reach. _

"_Ten days ago, three swords – the Tokijin, Tessaiga, and Tenseiga – were stolen from the Western Palace by InuYasha. He has been able to evade all trackers sent by Sesshoumaru since then."_

_There was an expectant silence before everyone realized that the story was completed. There were a few disgruntled looks on the gathered faces. Kagome was a marvelous story teller, she had a voice that captured your attention and a passion and way of telling the story which held it and enthralled your senses. _

'Oh, you've got it _real _bad.'

"_I was under the assumption that Lord Sesshoumaru," a random subject said, pointing rudely to said person, "wielded both the Tokijin and the Tenseiga. Do you mean to imply they were taken from his person?"_

_Sesshoumaru glared at the youkai (let's call him Nai* _'And people say you don't have a sense of humor!'_) presumptuous enough to make such a wild guess, his claws beginning to glow an ominous green._

"_The Bakusaiga," Sesshoumaru snapped defensively, menacingly fingering said blade, "manifested in my hand when my arm regenerated. It is not an heirloom or a crafted sword but was created from my own body as a manifestation of my demonic power! It is stronger than the fang of my father and is capable of killing _thousands_!" _

_Body shaking in terror, Nai looked around desperately for an escape that everyone, even said soon-to-be-dead-moron, knew wouldn't be of use to him if Sesshoumaru was set on killing him. _

'He's dead!'_ the Voice stated gleefully. I nodded absently in agreement. Unless someone capable of stopping him, namely myself or Kagome, interfered, Sesshoumaru was undoubtedly going to kill my subject. _

_I couldn't really bring myself to care. The Voice chucked maliciously._

"_Still, no matter how powerful Bakusaiga is when compared to the stolen swords – when in the wrong hands they are a force for destruction." Kagome spoke innocently, as though she wasn't aware of the tension and killing intent filling the air. Only the wickedly amused glint in her eye hinted at a different story. "A pity one of us five hadn't been keeping an eye on your palace, Sesshoumaru, and then the swords would be safely entombed in your residence. Or failing that you might have been able to contact one of us earlier than this morning, at least."_

_Nai almost sobbed in relief as his would-be executioner was distracted and thwarted in one fell swoop. A smirk flitted across Kagome's face so quickly I was only half sure it had actually been there in the first place. _

_In that second I made my decision; Kagome would stay in my castle to wait for InuYasha. I'm sure you would like to think me noble and honorable for letting almost a perfect stranger from the Human World inhabit my castle for the purposes of retrieving three treasures which could spell disaster for the natural order of the world. _

_Tokijin, a sword forged from the fang of an oni and therefore not as powerful as the other two, possessed a hateful spirit that was capable of controlling its wielder if the handler was not strong minded. Unfortunately strong-minded youkai were hard to come by, my kind preferred strength of body and ki. Tessaiga, on the other hand, being created from the fang of a daiyoukai was far more powerful but was only capable of being wielded by a person with youkai who cared about humans. Tenseiga more than made up for its sister sword's drawback, being able to raise the dead and able to send the living straight to hell by use of Meidou Zangetsuha. _

_I don't really believe I have to outline the perversion of nature such power would cause if in the hands of a less than honorable person. _

_But, back to the subject at hand; you'd like to believe me noble and honorable, yes? Allow me to remove your rose-tinted glasses._

_I am a Mazoku by birth and a Toushin by effort. I'm about as far from a saint as you can get without becoming a devil. _

_A small history lesson: youkai is a Japanese word meaning 'demon.' This term is not entirely accurate, however, as it also can mean 'monster' or 'spirit'. Youkai are manifestations of animals, elements, and aspects of nature or forces such as destruction. Youkai can be either benign or evil. Baku are perhaps one of the most benign of youkai while the Mazoku is unquestionably the most 'evil,' being the manifestation of the force called destruction. _

_A Toushin is a youkai who has gained the title 'War God.' _

_My reasons for letting Kagome reside in my home are entirely my selfish want for her to stay in addition to my own burning curiosity. I am a selfish being. I know this to be true, I am not one of those people who try to hide their own darkness and pretend to be the paragon of light. I am what I am, and that something is a creature who delights in the death and pain of others. _

_Deal with it._

"_Kagome-san," Hoksuhin spoke up, "You said that InuYasha's former traveling companions disappeared. Did they leave to tend to the kit and mourn the loss of the miko?"_

_Kagome's head tilted, appearing very much like a curious puppy. Her eyes raked up and down my right hand's form, lips pursed and eyes piercing and almost judging, as though she was looking past his physical form and measure the worth of his soul. The smile that appeared on her face showed entirely too much teeth for anyone on the receiving end to feel comfortable. Hoksuhin shifted minutely, determined not to show how much that smile unsettled him. _

"_They might have, had they not been Called."_

"_Called?" Another random subject (whom I didn't know the name of) questioned bravely. We're not going to honor him with a name, he's not important enough._

_Kagome nodded, a pleased smile gracing her face. "Called," she confirmed, "to a time not theirs. It wasn't a foreign concept for them. The full telling of their story could possibly take centuries to tell. But really the long and short of it is that InuYasha's old traveling companions are now called the Five Powers."_

_Every single eye in the room (save for Sesshoumaru and Kagome herself) widened to almost comical proportions. The small girl's grin widened, pleased by the reaction her words had caused. _

"_Could," Nai looked about ready to whimper as Sesshoumaru's eyes focused with laser intensity on him, "could you tell us their story?"_

_Hm. He was braver (or stupider) than I thought. I might actually have to remember his name in the near future. (Of course I'd have to learn it first.)_

_Kagome's smile took on that pleased look again._

"_A millennia or two before King Raizen was born the world was in trouble. The energies of the Netherworld, Nature, Destiny, Time, and Cosmos (more commonly called the Moon energy) were not acting as they should have been. _

"_The dark energy of the Netherworld was creating a plague of zombies throughout the world. The nurturing energy of Nature was causing untold destruction around the globe; tsunami, tornadoes, hurricanes – as well as smaller disasters. The mysterious energy of Destiny was tying the most incompatible people together with her Red-String of Fate. The mystical energy of Time was behaving like an unruly child; things were aging at unheard of rates, only to de-age to a much younger state or stop growing all together. The light energy of the Cosmos and the Moon had valiantly tried to curb the chaos her brothers and sisters were causing, but was unable to and her distraction only made the problem worse without her presence guarding and helping every sentient being. Cosmos (like her siblings) was semi-sentient and instinctually knew a mortal would have to absorb her brothers and sisters: becoming their incarnations so as to save the world. _

"_The monk, taijiya, nekomata, injured kit, and the miko's body were taken back to this dark time by this force and chosen to become the incarnations of the other Four Powers. Looking into their hearts and reviewing their temperaments, Cosmos handpicked a force for each companion. The wise monk melded with the dark Netherworld energy, the taijiya who longed to love bonded with the nurturing Nature energy, the courageous nekomata joined with the mysterious Destiny energy, and the small kit who cherished his bonds of friendship above all else melded with the mystical Time energy."_

_Destiny and Time butting heads . . . turning back time . . . five of us. Words previously said by Kagome trickled into my mind, bringing with them that niggling theory. An impossible thought but one that was looking more and more plausible as she went on. _

'It does look that way doesn't it? If it's true, then she's not really being that subtle, is she? Of course if it isn't true then we both need lots of sleep and a check on reality.'

_Oh look, the Voice was back._

'Back? I never left!_'_

"_As the four struggled to regulate the massive amounts of energy now readily available at their fingertips they were never far from their miko's side. The girl was kept safe in their residence, her body preserved by the kit stopping her body's Time. Most frustrating for them, however, was that even with the power of the Netherworld at his disposal, the monk was unable to revive her. It seemed as though their beloved companion was lost to them forever. _

"_Cosmos watched as well as her limited sentience would allow as the four continued to mourn for their missing heart. The miko had always been the one the others turned to when they needed emotion support or advice (never mind that she was also the youngest), as well as the first they were liable to worry about and the quickest to defend. _

"_Cosmos watched and realized that, just as her brothers and sisters now had physical manifestations, so too would her job of protecting all sentient life on Earth perhaps be easier if she were to meld with the miko. And so she did. In her soul resided the four spirits (Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimaitama, and Sakimitama) in perfect Balance and as such was the only possible candidate. _

"_Cosmos had always been the most powerful of her siblings and following this, the awoken miko was now the most powerful of her companions. Her spirit became the Balance, a force to advise and comfort the others. Taking on the duties of her element, the young miko became the protector of all humans, youkai, and spirits –"_

"_She has been granted the titles Angel of the Night, the Lady of the Moon, and Lady Luck," Sesshoumaru interrupted. _

_Kagome's lips thinned dangerously as the lord continued speaking._

"_Time, Destiny, Nature, the Netherworld have rarely been known to interact with mortals in the past millennia, this fact only changing after their human counterparts disappeared into the past. In contrast, the Angel has often been seen in the Human, Demon, and Spirit Worlds."_

"_Many youkai, humans, and hanyou alike have claimed to have been helped by her. Those capable of seeing them relate that the spirits that wander the Earth have claimed the same." Nankai breathed in longing. _

_Of the five, the apparent former miko was the most beloved by all mortals. No one even thought about saying they had been helped by her in person if they hadn't. When their lie was found out it would be a gruesome death. _

"_Legends say she can change her form so well it would make a kitsune green with envy," To'o relayed stoically, "All who have seen her true form in the seconds before she disappears relay that she is the size of a twelve-year-old child, has long black hair, eyes like stars, and large black wings."_

_Well now, what an interesting, unique description. A description that would fit Kagome to a tee if not for the wings. But still . . . _

'If not one of your people realize who she is I'll eat my hat. . . You know, it's a good thing I don't own a hat.'

_I hated to agree with the Voice, but my subjects _could_ be miraculously dense sometimes. _

"_If what you say is true," Hoksuhin started. _

"_Lying is a despicable habit," Kagome sniffed. _

_Hoksuhin quickly apologized, knowing instinctively the dangers of a jaded female. _

"_Then we can probably conclude that the Angel isn't a grown woman but rather a child. Miko are trained from the moment their powers are found. For her to be untrained as she was, she couldn't have been more than twelve or so when she died."_

_Outrage showed clear on some of the gathered faces. But my main focus was on Sesshoumaru and Kagome. The two were surveying the assembly with amused half-lidded eyes. A mischievous smile curved Kagome's lips. _

"_A logical conclusion to make," she murmured softly, I don't believe many heard the unspoken, _but the wrong one.

_Shrewd eyes stared at the two guests. Lord Sesshoumaru had been one of the allies of InuYasha's former friends – and his older half-brother – and Kagome was obviously his ward as she wore his mon, his house symbol. It was natural to follow this to the conclusion that the two had met with the Five and were possibly acquaintances or even friends with them._

_Of course I believed the reality to be a much grander picture. _

_Sesshoumaru might indeed be close bosom buddies with all of the powerful beings. _

"She is anything but a child Milord; she's actually older than you."

"It's rather hard though," she continued, almost to herself, "to keep things the way that we remember them so that things turn out the way that they must to lead up to a series of events that lead to us becoming what we are now so that we could make sure that everything turns out the way that we remember it. Frankly it gives me a headache anytime I think about it too hard, but I suppose that's time travel for you."

"A real pity one of us five hadn't been keeping an eye on your palace, Sesshoumaru . . ."

_For he was certainly close acquaintances with one of them: Kagome, the Angel and incarnation of Cosmos and the Moon. _

_What a strange and unusual thought._

_I smirked – what an _intriguing_ thought._

"_We accept your request." I received a couple blank looks for that statement, obviously the dunderheads had been so enthralled by the spinning of threads Kagome had treated us to, as well as the invigorating talk of the Five that they had forgotten the reason that the two outsiders were here in the first place. _

_I held back a snort at the thought._

'It _is_ so hard to find good grunts these days, isn't it?'

"_We will have a room prepared for the little lady immediately." I gazed at Nankai significantly. He was a quick lad and got the silent message immediately. He quietly made his exit._

_Sesshoumaru gave no indication to his feelings about this new development._

_Kagome giggled in delighted relief, her hands coming up to connect with a bright clap. A petite, feminine hand reached over to unlock the clasp on her cloak, slipping the heavy white garment from her small shoulders. She handing the fabric to her much taller companion. _

_As most women are want to do, she tittered fussily over the wrinkles in her dress, smoothing out the fabric, straightening her necklace and running her fingers through her hair. _

_By the Angel she was beautiful – my fantasies hadn't done her any justice._

_She wore a white dress fashioned like the humans in the West, with a lace-up bodice and long flowing sleeves which left her shoulders bare. On the tops of the sleeves were printed the red honeycomb and flower mon of the House of the Moon. Long blue-tinted raven hair fell in messy curls past the curve of her bottom. Her necklace was a simple pink conch pearl a little large than a marble, hanging on a chain threaded with a couple hundred tiny multi-colored beads._

_Sesshoumaru turned to his shorter companion. Bending down so that they were face to face he placed his large hands on either side of her shoulders. _

"_You'll be alright here?" Only the barest hint of concern tinted his voice._

_Kagome smiled brightly. "I'll be fine! Promise. You know perfectly well I can take care of myself." Sesshoumaru gave her a sideways glance that clearly conveyed his doubt of that statement. She, in turn, stuck out a tiny pink tongue at the dignified lord._

_I had to smile._

'Don't stick that out unless you want to put it to good use.'

_Kagome's tongue disappeared back into her mouth, a rather endearing blush gracing her cheeks as her actions caught up with her brain._

_Sesshoumaru rose fluidly, an exasperated huff escaping his lips. He placed a light kiss on the crown of her head before sending me an acknowledging nod. He was giving me responsibility for his ward. Were anything to happen to the girl while she took up residence in my castle he would hold me responsible and – strongest of the Three Kings or not – he would find a way to make me pay. _

_I felt a bit threatened. How unusual._

_The Moon Kingdom Lord ran his fingers through Kagome's hair, his hand gently caressing her cheek. Smiling gently Kagome leaned her head into the touch, her hand coming up to rest on his wrist. Then their hands dropped and glowing green ki pulsed and gathered around the lord's body, transforming it into a glowing green light which shot out of the doors into the night._

_Hoksuhin, Kagome and myself were the only ones left in the Great Hall, the others having drifted off to do whatever they had been doing before the arrival of Lord Sesshoumaru and Lady Kagome_

_We all jumped slightly as Nankai reentered the Hall, the doors' creaking interrupting our musings. _

"_The room is prepared Your Majesty." _

_I nodded approvingly. That had been extremely quick – not that I would have accepted anything less. Before dismissing the youkai I retrieved the location of the suite; I refused to wander around the castle like a lost sheep. Nankai bowed and left._

"_Might I show you to your room, milady?" I questioned, feeling mischievous. I held out my hand. Laughing blue-gray eyes met mine as she answered._

"_I would be honored kind sir," she replied coyly, sweeping into a picture perfect Western curtsy, before taking the proffered hand. A fire started where her light touch met my palm and spread throughout my body, warming it from the inside. The bemused stare of Hoksuhin burned into my back. I skillfully ignored it. I was the most powerful youkai in the Demon World; I could do whatever I wanted._

'Offer her your arm.'

_Taking the Voice's suggestion, I tucked her arm into my own, acting as though I were leading her into a ball room. _

_She looked up flirtatiously, hiding slightly beneath dark lashes. The amused grin tugging at her lips completely at odds with her flirtatious actions. _

_We walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes before the silence got to me._

"_Is it possible to go insane from the death of your soul mate? Is that why Lord Sesshoumaru's half brother went insane?" _

_She looked rather nervous, biting her lip like that. _

_The Voice laughed and I realized I had been staring transfixed at the abused flesh. I quickly averted my gaze, hoping desperately she hadn't noticed._

"_Not . . . entirely." _

"_Oh?" She sighed softly, the sound strangely heavy._

"_As I explained earlier there are two types of soul mates. The stronger bond – the Red-String of Fate – can only held between two Harmonic Souls and each soul can only have one such connection. The other soul mate bond has no such title, though if we were to give it one it would probably be called the Thread of Kin. The Thread of Kin is created by mortals between mortals. Such a connection is created when the bonded have gone through something together that cause them to be able to trust the other with their lives. They would die for the other and consider it a privilege. There is no limit to how many of these soul mate bonds a creature can hold. _

"_The Red-String of Fate is a bond which is given much thought and personally tied by Destiny. She examines untold numbers of souls; looking for two that – when touched to the other – resonate. When two souls come into contact a sound like a lullaby is created. This lullaby can be sweet and beautiful or dark and disturbing. There are no instruments, and you can't hear the song with your ears – it's something you hear within your mind, with your heart. _

"_However, not always to do such souls marry. I know one such bonded couple that didn't feel that kind of love towards the other and became the closest of siblings.** Souls that find the other and nurture their bond share something that nothing else can recreate. They are able to sense the other's wellbeing and sometimes even specific emotions. Some of the eerily resonated couples develop telepathy with their other half. The loss of that other half would cause a grief so deep that it doesn't reach the soul – but rather starts in it. This grief will affect a person mentally and physically as well as spiritually and – of course - emotionally." Kagome sighed._

"_When I first told you about soul mates you translated that as 'lovers.' Many people share your misconception you know. Not everyone is _in _love with their soul mate. A soul mate can be your best friend, your sister or brother, or even a parent. To put it simply, a soul mate is someone you simply can't live without. Your souls _will _find each other and when you do, unknowingly – unwittingly – you hand them the key to your soul. With a single word or action they can lift you up higher than the highest cloud in Heaven . . ." Ancient memories and old wounds clouded eyes which now seemed almost completely gray. ". . . or cast you down further than the deepest pit of Tartarus." _

_In the solemn silence that followed Kagome murmured aloud, her eyes staring at nothing – or perhaps the past _

"_And even then, if that someone dies, a part of you (or perhaps even all of you) would most certainly pass over with them._

"_InuYasha's Red-String of Fate was tied to Kikyou and – following after – to her reincarnation. He went insane, not because of the loss of Kikyou, but because he killed her reincarnation, to whom he also shared the bond with. THAT is why he lost his mind._

"_The act severed their string and allowed Destiny to connect them to another."_

_I bit my tongue to keep my mouth shut._

_Kagome looked up at me serenely, eyes dark with pain._

'This can't be good.'_ No, no it couldn't._

"_Killing one of your Kin is a horrible thing to do and leaves deep mental scars. Killing your Soul Mate, on the other hand, deeply scars your soul to the point that it takes centuries to heal. Nothing in any of the four worlds can help. Not even myself." She sighed, looking to be in the distant past again. "Wounds of the soul are so much harder to heal than that of the flesh . . ._

"_InuYasha's soul will take possibly five centuries to be at the point where he can be trusted to be tied again. I believe Destiny has her eye on a human girl named Kana. A very sweet girl, extremely patient. The poor thing waited hours for her date and later when she died and missed it her ghost stayed around to wait. I'm not sure how their story will play out, or even the nature of their relationship but Kana will be very good for InuYasha. Her soul will be good for his own. Even better than . . . K-Kikyou's was for InuYasha."_

_She stumbled over the miko's name and I understood, with a burst of clarity and empathy, what she hadn't said._

'_She'll be better for him than _I _was.'_

_I frowned, my brow puckering – wondering._

"_If Kana is bet-" Kagome winced lightly and I quickly changed my words. "If that's so, then why were Kana and InuYasha not bound from the start?"_

_She smiled at me indulgingly (and a little melancholic-like), as though I was a little child who was unable to grasp an adult concept._

"_InuYasha and Kikyou were born only a little under a hundred and thirty years apart. Kana and InuYasha were born almost seven hundred years apart. With InuYasha's childhood and adolescence being what it was, he wouldn't be able to wait for seven hundred years to find someone. Kana was meant to be born about fifty years after InuYasha's own birth, but the Netherworld is a place with politics and paperwork. She'd died a couple months before his birth and Destiny was sent scrambling for a soul to fill the void when she disappeared."_

"_Disappeared?"_

_Kagome nodded. "There is a reason we replaced the Netherworld Imps with the River Guides, and it isn't just because Netherworld thinks they're easier on the eyes._

"_As I was saying, it was only a couple hours before InuYasha's soul was to be placed in his mother's womb and without his other half already tied to him (even if she wasn't to be born for centuries it wouldn't have mattered as long as they were connected) the soul wouldn't have been able to survive. So Destiny found a soul which created a lovely melody with InuYasha's. The lullaby was just as beautiful and lovely as Kana and InuYasha's had been; however, it was very rushed and the process normally takes years. This is because two souls are left together for a certain period of time during which the lullaby might go dark. If that happens then they are never tied together. _

"_Kikyou and InuYasha's lullaby went _very _dark," Kagome admitted in a whisper, "very dark indeed. _

"_And so Destiny made a mistake and by the time it was realized it was impossible to undo. Our mistakes always tend to turn out like that. Large and full of deadly explosions. We're certainly not perfect."_

'Ah-ha, she practically just admitted it!'

_A briefly chagrined look flitted across Kagome's face briefly as she realized just what it was she said. I warred with myself for a few seconds. To be blunt or not?_

_Oh forget it._

"_You're the incarnation of Cosmos aren't you? The miko who InuYasha killed? Kikyou's reincarnation?"_

_For a few precious seconds, everything froze._

_Then Kagome nodded slowly._

"_That's correct. After being betrayed by the one who was tied to the other end of my String my soul was deeply scarred and shattered. It hadn't been in good shape before that, a small portion of it being used to animate Kikyou's unnatural body, but after he killed me my soul went practically cationic. That's why Miroku, Netherworld, couldn't revive me – my body was dead (something which should have been easily remedied) but my soul was injured and hurting and it needed time to heal. It wasn't ready to reattach itself to my body. Without Cosmos joining with me it might have been a millennia before it was healed enough to inhabit a body."_

'So long? I'm going to murder him.' _The Voice sounded unusually serious, I noted detachedly._

"_They're wrong you know," Kagome said suddenly, "they say that Time heals all wounds. It doesn't. It only allows them to scar."_

_I counted to ten in my mind. Kagome's treatment at the hands of InuYasha made my instincts scream to protect her and punish the THING that injured her. Power, which felt something in-between mist and light seeped into my body, cooling the rage in my mind and heart. _

_I ignored the scorch marks in the hallway behind us. Kagome smiled at me gratefully._

"_But the miko turned out to be okay," her use of third person might have made me smile if I hadn't still been quietly seething. "Seeing as how she had been killed and be-" Kagome eyed my rising rage and rephrased. "Taking into consideration the girls' past and what she meant to her, Destiny gave the miko a privilege that hadn't ever been given and hasn't been given since – the ability and choice to connect her String with whomever she desired. She chose a Toushin in the Demon World."_

_I stopped, staring down at the little vixen, contemplating. A simply wicked idea occurred to me. _

_Kagome's eyes looked at my evil grin warily._

'Oh this is going to be sweet!'

_Quickly, so she wouldn't have time to react, I maneuvered her body so that her back pressed up against my chest. My arms held her tightly to my body, molding her slight form against my own. She certainly was a small frail thing wasn't she? The little maiden barely reached my mid-chest. I was 180 centimeters or so – Kagome was perhaps 133. _

_Suddenly I felt like I was holding a delicate rose in strong, demonic hands. A single moment of thoughtlessness and that would be the end of her. _

_My grip around the fragile flower gentled and turned into something most would call tender._

_I lowered my head so I could whisper in her ear, loving the way her silky hair felt against the skin of my face._

"_Might I enquire as to which lucky Toushin the incarnation of Cosmos chose?" My voice came out husky and rich, my breathing creating a small puff of wind against the shell of her ear. She shivered at my voice, her body's trembles painfully evident with the closeness of our bodies._

"_I would think it to be fairly obvious." Her voice was strong but a bit breathy. I smirked darkly._

_It _was _obvious, there had only been two Toushin ever in existence and my sister was . . . otherwise engaged._

_Reluctantly I released the Angel, who immediately spun on her heel. Blue-gray eyes pinning me with a heated glare that only made me chuckle. She looked like a furious kitten who thought it was a ferocious tiger. _

_She sniffed haughtily. _

"_As I said my String is tied to a Toushin and my Threads are connected to Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara (Netherworld, Nature, Time, and Destiny respectively, she added), Sesshoumaru, and a few other of our allies that we created during our pursuit of Naraku."_

'I wonder how many Threads she has.'

_I had to admit I was curious too._

"_Kagome," I paused, rolling her name on my tongue, loving the way it felt. I tried to recall if I had said her name aloud before this but couldn't think of a single instance. "You've explained what Destiny's job consists of – would you consider explain yours and your other friends' duties?"_

_She smiled softly, the corners of her eyes crinkling._

"_Perhaps another time; it is getting rather late after all and it has been a rather tiring day."_

_Disappointed, but content in the knowledge that my curiosity would be sated during her stay, I gently reclaimed her arm._

XXXX

Yusuke stared blankly at his distant father.

His mouth opened but he seemed to have lost the ability to form words so he closed it again without having said anything. After repeating this several times, Raizen's amused voice snapped the budding Toushin out of it.

"Are you a fish or a man?"

Yusuke twitched but with held his urge to punch the weakened youkai.

"You mean to say that you married LADY LUCK!"

"That's correct."

The young Toushin floundered wordlessly for a few moments before mumbling, "Well Grandma always _did_ say Lady Luck was on my side."

Raizen's lip curled in amusement. "I should hope so; you are one of her descendents after all."

Yusuke snorted. "How'd she get all those fancy titles anyways?"

"She received the name 'Lady Luck' because, by use of a scrying ball, she is able to help others out of tricky predicaments that don't require her to appear personally but are out of the guardian's abilities. Such instances are revered to as a 'lucky break,' I believe the term is. Lady of the Moon came to refer to her because moonlight is something that her true form appears to emit. Also her nature is that of the Cosmos and the Moon – they're practically identical.

"As for the 'Angel in the Night' . . . Kagome normally teleports away from someone she's helped" (A small, dark-haired woman in a white dress winked playfully at Yusuke before disappearing with neither sound nor sparkles. Yusuke shook his head to clear it, wondering at the nostalgia that the image dredged up.) "But in the times that she doesn't she flies into the night with large black wings reminiscent of an angel."

Yusuke blinked, still rather stunned from the sudden flash of the small dark-haired woman. Suddenly he paled, reaching behind his shoulder to rest on his shoulder blade.

"You don't think I'll suddenly sprout wings . . . do ya?"

Raizen fought to hide his amused smile. Yusuke's half panicked glare informed him he hadn't succeeded.

"I'm quite sure I don't know. That's something you'll have to ask her when you meet her."

"You think I'll get to see her one day?"

"Undoubtedly, something tells me you were the person she told everyone she wanted to meet all those centuries ago."

Pushing _that _strange thought to the side to be considered later, Yusuke tried to breathe steadily. After all the weirdness that had been his life since his revival he didn't think he'd be at all surprised to suddenly find himself with wings.

But that didn't mean he wanted them!

A/N: *Nai means dead

**Reference to _Again and Again_ by WhiteDemoness11


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